


Destiny Was Never A Choice

by hidinginthetrashcan



Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:00:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23300548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hidinginthetrashcan/pseuds/hidinginthetrashcan
Summary: *SPOILERS FOR HORIZON: ZERO DAWN & THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT*What if Aloy needed a special weapon/tool to purge HADES and the only way to get it, was to travel to another universe? That universe also happens to be the one in which the events of The Witcher (based on the video games) takes place.Was meeting Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon chance or destiny?
Relationships: Aloy (Horizon: Zero Dawn)/Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Comments: 8
Kudos: 48





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> It's my very first attempt at writing a fanfic. English isn't even my native language, but I've been juggling with this idea for a long time, so I just started to write and I realise that I also wanted to share this with other people :). 
> 
> So if you stumble upon this story - I do hope you will enjoy it!  
> Also, if you have any questions/remarks related to the story or just want to talk about The Witcher or HZD, you can always hit me up at https://hidinginthetrashcan.tumblr.com

Synthetic Voice: „Alpha Registry, restored. Genetic identity confirmed. Entry authorised. Greetings, Dr. Sobeck. You are cleared to proceed.”

This is what Aloy had been waiting for ALL her life. She was finally going to figure out where she came from. She had enough of all the questions, it was time for answers. She looked over her shoulder at Teersa. The Matriarch nodded encouragingly, Aloy had gotten her blessing. Breathing out, Aloy stepped inside, and the door closed.

Synthetic Voice: „Welcome to ELEUTHIA Cradle-9, Brood-1.”

A familiar voice whispered through the Focus. „I see you’re inside.” It was Sylens again.

„Figured I might be hearing from you”, Aloy sighed.

„Shall we begin?”

„I never stopped”, Aloy retorted, her voice having a rough edge. Remembering that Sylens did, in fact, save her life a few days earlier at Sunfall made her adjust her tone in the next sentence. „So this is ‘Eleuthia’. This is where I was born?”

„Where you were made”, Sylens corrected her.

Aloy knew it was true, but hearing it said out loud still stung. „So these are… artificial wombs?” She gestured towards the numerous glass boxes in the hall.

„The mothers of a new generation, hundreds of years ago”, Sylens answered.

„And me? So this was it.”

„Where you were born”, Sylens confirmed.

„But - why? These look like… cribs.”

„The cradles of a Cradle facility.”

Aloy stumbled upon what looked like the remains of a humanlike robot. „And those… things? The multiservitors… they took care of them?”

„There was no one else.”

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Synthetic Voice: „Brood-1 Control, accessed. Priority message for Dr. Sobeck. Please scan the message with the Focus.”

Aloy stepped inside the room. On her right lay another one of those scannable devices from the Old Ones. „That sounds important”, she muttered.

„Yes, I suspect we’re about to learn a great deal”, Sylens agreed.

With a deep shaking breath of expectation, Aloy scanned the device. Suddenly the room was covered with a holographic projection. In the middle of the room stood a woman with tanned skin and long thick black braided hair that was draped around her right shoulder. The woman was wearing a green dress and had a friendly face. Aloy presumed this was GAIA, the hyper-powerful A.I. that was responsible for the restoration of life to Earth after its eradication by the Faro Plague.

„Elisabet”, GAIA started off, „this message serves to inform you of an unforeseen and catastrophic anomaly. Three microseconds ago, the GAIA Prime facility received a data transmission of unknown origin. Its immediate effect was to transform my Subordinate Functions into unregulated, self-aware entities of a highly chaotic nature.”

„What”, Aloy breathed out.

„Thus awakened, the HADES Function will now seize control of the terraforming system and reverse operations… rendering life on Earth extinct in 53.8 days. For obvious reasons, I cannot allow this to occur. And so before HADES can take control, I am ordering GAIA Prime’s reactor to overload. The resulting explosion will destroy HADES. Unfortunately, it will destroy me as well. While this admittedly desperate course of action will avert the immediate crisis, the fate of life is still at stake. With no central governing intelligence to regulate the terraforming system, it will continue operations for some time… but in an increasingly chaotic manner, and eventually, it will break down”, GAIA continued.

„Does she mean… the Derangement?”, Aloy asked out loud.

„You are part of my solution. I have ordered this Cradle facility to use genetic material in cryo-storage to gestate a… re-instantiation of Elisabet Sobeck, my creator. While high-level directives forbid me from communicating directly to the tribal inhabitants outside the facility… all available data indicates that they will nurture you to physical maturity… whereupon your gene print will allow you to re-enter this facility… obtain one of the Focus devices stored below, and view this message. Likewise, your gene print will allow you to enter other facilities… and over time, harness their technologies to rebuild the system core and reboot GAIA.” She momentarily stopped. A deep frown settled on her face.

„A moment Elisabet. This is most unfortunate and unanticipated. In respons to my act of self-destruction, HADES has launched a virus to dissolve the code shackles that hold it - that hold all of them - in place! It - they are escaping but to where? The virus is corrupting data throughout the system. What if - oh, the Alpha Registry at the Cradle facility says one of the files is corrupted. But if that is so, the door will never open for you. You will never view this message. Then I have failed… and life will end. No. No, Elisabet, I know you too well. Somehow you will find a way. In you, all things are possible.”

„You will need the most powerful weapon that has ever existed to eradicate HADES and complete the Master Override. Unfortunately, this weapon does not exist on this Earth. You will have to go to a special universe. Use one of the Viaversa located in the Lyceum. This device will allow you to travel between different worlds. You will encounter many challenges to find this weapon, but it is of the utmost importance that you’re able to retrieve it before you go to the ruins of GAIA Prime. When it is in your possession, look for the control room, and within it, the Master Override. Use the weapon to operate it. This will give you the power to purge HADES, so long as you find a way to wield it. Do not attempt repair of the system core until HADES is eradicated. HADES must be destroyed. That is all. I only wish that I could hear your voice again.” GAIA’s image and voice faded away and the silence felt ten times heavier than it did before.

„So… you’re even more extraordinary than I thought”, Sylens’ voice broke the silence.

„I never had a mother”, Aloy croaked out, trying to breathe in a normal rhythm again. Why couldn’t she get enough air?

„What are you talking about? You had two. A dead woman and a machine.”

Sylens didn’t get it. Aloy shook her head. „I’m not a person, I’m an instrument. Manufactured by a machine. Born in destruction… and fire…” She was completely out of air by now, reaching for her throat, squeezing her eyes shut, forcing herself to regulate her breathing.

„To quench the flames and heal the world. How tragic, to learn that you’re a person of towering importance! It seems you have a destiny to fulfil. So when you’re done feeling sorry for yourself, start looking for that Viaversum GAIA was talking about.”


	2. Goodbyes and New Beginnings

With the Viaversum, a device that looked very much like her Focus (except for the shape, which was a square, and it had a small display), tucked neatly in one of her armour pockets, Aloy returned to the door that led back to the bunker of the Nora. She knew what she had to do and there was only a little time left to do it.

The door opened and… well, she definitely not expect this. The whole tribe was watching her with wide eyes and mouths agape.

„All praise Aloy, Anointed of the Nora!” Lansra called out while she fell onto her knees and made a bowing gesture towards Aloy. Soon the whole bunker was following her example crying out the words as if they were a prayer to the All-Mother. As soon as it had come, the surprise disappeared. Aloy started to feel the fury build up in her chest. With each and every shout and bow they made it harder for her to keep it in.

„No! NO! Stop this! Up! UP!” Aloy yelled as she gestured and pulled some people off the floor. „First you shun me, now this?! I will NOT be worshipped! I’m not your ‘Anointed’! I don’t belong to you!” Aloy was breathing heavily. No wonder people called the Embrace ‘the Savage East’. The Nora was truly a naive and unworldly tribe.

„There’s a whole world beyond your borders. Whole tribes of people just as good as you and it’s all in danger! It’s a world worth fighting for. Not just here. Everywhere.” The exasperation, desperation, grief and seriousness in her voice must’ve had its effect; the bunker was quiet once more.

„How can we help?” It was Varl. The son of the War Chief took a few steps closer.

„If you can fight and you’re willing, go to Meridian and wait for me there”, Aloy answered. „There are a few things I need to take care of first.”

Varl nodded his head in affirmation.

„As Aloy says, so it shall be! Nora, make way for Aloy that she may forge the path for others to follow!” Teersa bellowed.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

It had been a long time since she had been up there, yet it still felt like coming home. The little hut Aloy and Rost had lived in just stood there as if nothing had happened in the past year. Aloy pushed the wooden front door gently open. The door creaked a bit and the sunlight fell into the house, revealing the dusty wooden floorboards. Though the dust had settled, Aloy’s memories of this place were crystal clear.

She stepped inside towards the little box that was tucked away in the corner, hidden under a pair of boar skins. She took the box and put it on the makeshift dining table. With a deep breath, she opened it and emptied its content. Because of Rost’s firm belief in the Nora’s way of life, she had always been taught that things from the world of the Old Ones should be shunned and definitely not kept. Since retrieving the Focus from one of the ruins, however, Aloy was drawn to these places, determined to find more devices and useful tools. In between training with Rost for the Proving, learning to hunt machines and studying plants, she went a few times back and each time collected something that seemed to have had some worth. She didn’t know anything about the world that she was supposed to travel to, but it wouldn’t hurt to prepare a bit.

Aloy packed the trinkets safely into her pockets and sighed. She knew it was time for something she had been dreading to do for so long. Exiting the hut, she walked up to Rost’s memorial site. She lit one of the candles, crouched down onto her knees, took her Focus off her head, and clutched the necklace he had given her.

„Hi, Rost.” Aloy cleared her throat. „I’m sorry I didn’t come earlier - I just… didn’t have the strength to do this. Some excuse, I know. A lot has changed in the world since you’ve gone. I tracked down the killers of the Proving, they won’t be killing anyone anymore. I went to Meridian and helped the Sun-King Avad and made some new friends. I know what happened to the Old Ones and why these Corrupted machines are suddenly popping up. I also finally have my answer to a lifelong question: I don’t have a mother, Rost. I was created by GAIA, the A.I. that is basically responsible for all life on Earth after everything had been destroyed. She used the genetic print of Elisabet Sobeck, the person who built GAIA and Project: Zero Dawn, to make me. I’m… some sort of clone.” Aloy stopped momentarily. Her throat felt immensely dry and tears were starting to well up in her eyes. She sniffled and wiped them away quickly.

„GAIA made me in a last attempt to stop HADES. He’s a subsystem that has gone rogue and he’s dead set on eradicating life on Earth all over again. The only way to stop him… is by going to another world, to find this weapon, and complete the Master Override. Otherwise, life will be completely lost… again. I don’t know what awaits me there or what’s going to happen when I get to the GAIA Prime facilities after. I’ll try to come back if I can, but… I guess this might be it. Thank you, Rost. For everything.”

Aloy blew out the candles, seated herself more comfortably and took the Viaversum out of her pocket. She activated the Focus again and cleared her throat. She was NOT going to address Sylens with a shaky voice.

„Any idea how this thing might work?” Aloy asked out loud.

„I’ve seen devices that look like this one before. Try tapping the display, I think it’s touch-sensitive”, Sylens spoke through her Focus.

Aloy reached out and touched the dark brown shape Sylens called a display. The screen lit up in bright light, showing some sort of list. The list was made of a bunch of words she didn’t understand. Aquadium, Zurkonia, Larchester, Verusias - she was starting to wonder whether the device was broken.

„Any idea what these words mean? They’re… gibberish to me”, Aloy sighed.

„I think those are names. They could be the names of different realms or worlds. Try scrolling down - make an upwards sliding movement across the screen”, Sylens answered. As Aloy scrolled, even more words - or names - popped up. She kept scrolling and scrolling, the list seemed endless. „Wait, Aloy!” Sylens exclaimed. Aloy stopped scrolling immediately. „Can you go a little bit back?”

Aloy scrolled back. „Yes, there! Earth-104. That’s the one”, Sylens said.

„How do you know that’s where I’ll have to go to?”

„Because I notice things, Aloy. You see, while you were worrying about your origins, I paid attention to GAIA’s instructions. She said the weapon doesn’t exist on this Earth. Meaning, the world we would have to go to is another Earth. In this case, Earth-104 as that’s the only world on the Viaversum that almost has the exact same name as ours. Can’t be coincidence, now can it?” Sylens said smugly.

„I _was_ paying attention Sylens, and again, _we_ aren’t going anywhere. I am the one who’s putting myself out there”, Aloy answered coldly. „Anyways, Earth-104 it is.” She tapped on the word and a hologram rose up out of the Viaversum, revealing a round-shaped planet. A text appeared right above it, with two holographic buttons underneath it.

_Transportation to Earth-104 is ready. Continue?_

„Good luck, Aloy. This world depends on you”, Sylens whispered.

The buttons read ‘Yes’ and ‘No’. Aloy took a last glance at Rost’s shrine and the Sacred Land beneath her. She mumbled a promise to the world as she pushed the ‘Yes’-button and felt the ground disappear underneath her. Everything went black.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Cold. Aloy felt a shiver run across her back. A sharp, freezing wind seemed to cut her skin and leave tiny but painful scratches. She opened her eyes. She was lying on a rock, surrounded by trees. Her head pounded as though she had been hit by the tail of a Watcher.

„Sylens?” Aloy called out through her Focus. No answer followed from her annoying, but also helpful companion. „I guess this time it really is just me then”, she said to herself.

She put the Viaversum back in her pockets and checked whether all of her gear had traveled with her. Her bow, sling, ropecaster and tripcaster were all present and accounted for. She got up and took in her surroundings. It was getting dark, but she saw a glow of orange light in the distance. Surely she would be able to find some shelter there, right? „Here we go”, Aloy sighed and started walking.


	3. Unsolicited encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this story, Ciri ends up as a Witcher AND Geralt's endgame is with Yennefer. Sorry for the Triss fans. 
> 
> Huge thanks to skeet-deet (https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/skeet-deet), who volunteered to proof read my story and had the patience to correct all my errors. 
> 
> Also, if you like the story and maybe want to talk about it, don't hesitate to hit me up on my Tumblr as well!
> 
> Enjoy!

Ciri massaged her temples. The peasant in front of her was sniffing and sobbing in between every word he managed to get out. The tears and snot were covering his face, and he kept wiping it off with his garments which were, by now, completely wet. She tried to keep a straight face, seeing as the man had just lost his wife.

“…you see *sniff*, and she always *sniff* made the best *sniff* cheese sandwiches *sniff*, I loved her *sniff* sooooo muu-uu-uuch…” The man couldn’t restrain himself any longer and fell to his knees, buried his face into his hands, and started bawling. Ciri awkwardly shifted from one foot to the other, stretching out her hand to pat him compassionately on the shoulder, but then quickly changed her mind remembering the snot.

“I-I’m really sorry for your loss. Ehm, could you maybe point me in the direction of your wife’s body? Where did the drowners attack you?” she asked, desperate for somewhat useful information so she could complete this contract.

The peasant didn’t respond, completely out of his mind with grief. A young boy who had followed the whole conversation from behind the wailing man tugged on Ciri’s sleeve. Ciri crouched to lower herself to his height. “Yes?”

“I can show you where Mommy went,” he said with a high voice.

“What’s your name?”

“Aleksy,” he answered shyly.

Ciri took his hand in hers. “All right Aleksy, show me where the bad monsters are.”

———————————————————————————————————————————

Five days on Earth-104 and Aloy knew this endeavour was not going to be a walk in the park. The people in this world were even harsher than they were back home. She was, ironically enough, being treated as an outcast. Her armour, hairdo, and strange accent were enough to get disgusted looks, silent treatments, and even the occasional insult. She was used to it, that’s what being shunned for the greater part of your life does to you, but she had hoped to at least find one friendly face in this new crowd. Luckily, she hadn’t run into real trouble up til now, thanks to her bow (which was, you know, very present) and the strange and fierce-looking spear she carried with her. She walked into the inn of the third village that she had come across since traveling to Earth-104, hoping to get more information about the item she was looking for.

Until then, her pursuit had been rather unsuccessful. Whenever she could find a person who would actually answer her questions they always seemed to point in a different direction. One swordsman claimed the most powerful weapon that was ever made, was called the Bloodsword, but that the likes of her would never get their hands on it. Another said the most powerful weapon was the Ursine crossbow, but it was protected in an underwater sea cave by sirens, and he couldn’t really pinpoint the exact location of said sea cave, so that was another dead end.

She walked into the practically empty inn and seated herself at the counter, hoping the person behind the bar would be able to answer some questions. Aloy had the fortune of coming across a merchant a few days ago, to which she had sold a few of her trinkets in return for the strange currency that they were using in this world. She put some of the coins onto the counter and ordered a drink from the innkeeper. She had learned that no one would actually talk if she didn’t flash some coin first.

It was not the innkeeper who set the jug of water down in front of Aloy, but a beautiful blonde barmaid. “That’s two crowns please,” she said with a soft and amiable voice. Aloy, a bit dazed, shook her head a little and pushed the coins towards the woman.

“Oh, wait!” Aloy said as the barmaid turned around to serve other customers. She stopped and looked back. “Can I have five minutes of your time? I’m looking for something and I thought maybe you could help me?”

The barmaid smiled, nodded her head, and came closer again. “What can I help you with?”

“This is going to sound incredibly vague, but I’m looking for this weapon. It’s said to be the most powerful weapon in the world.” Aloy held up her hands in quotation marks. „Ever heard of anything like that?”

The woman behind the counter furrowed her eyebrows. “That is indeed quite vague and a bit unsettling as well actually. Why do you need that kind of weapon? I mean, you look like you can handle yourself pretty good with that bow and spear.”

Aloy sighed. “I can’t really explain. I can only tell you that I want to use it to do good. I know good is subjective and well… why would anyone trust a stranger, right? But it’s really important, and I need to count on strangers who, for some reason do trust and help me with this.” She tried to flash her most charming smile, but it was a bit more of a grimace.

It didn’t really matter, because the barmaid returned the smile, which was far prettier than her own, and answered, “You actually do seem like a good person, but I haven’t heard about a weapon like that. If it truly exists, I would think half the world would be searching for it, right? I really want to help you, but I’m afraid I can’t say I know about that. I’m sorry. I should go back to work though, but maybe we can talk about other stuff later?” she asked with a glint in her eyes.

Aloy felt the blood rising to her head and her face getting warm. “I-I uh, I would love that, but I’m afraid I’m in a hurry to find this thing. But I’ll consider coming back to this inn after that.” She internally facepalmed herself. That was not her smoothest moment.

“Great. I’ll be looking forward to that.” The barmaid winked and walked away.

Aloy, still trying to process everything that had just happened, didn’t notice that one of the clients in the inn had moved from his table and had seated himself next to her at the counter.

“A real lady killer huh?” a low manly voice said. The man was broad-shouldered and heavily armed with two swords and a crossbow across his back. He looked like he was in his mid-forties, but his hair was completely white. His yellow catlike eyes looked her up and down as he clamped his hand around a wolf shaped medallion.

“Not here to give me any advice now are you?” Aloy joked.

That elicited a tiny smile on the man’s serious face. “On women? I can assure you that you were doing a better job than I have ever done,” he joked back. Aloy chuckled. “That’s not what I came to talk to you about. I couldn’t help but overhear your question about ‘the most powerful weapon in the world’. Indeed not a very subtle question to ask when you’re at an inn. I need to know why you need it.”

“Who’s asking?”

“Geralt of Rivia. I’m a Witcher,” the stranger answered.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Aloy. I don’t know what a Witcher is, but I can’t tell you Geralt. You couldn’t possibly understand,” Aloy sighed.

“A Witcher is a mutated monster hunter,” Geralt said with a hint of contempt on his face. “You’re clearly not from the Continent, so you must’ve already witnessed the hospitality of the folks that live here. If you ever think that they don’t like strangers? Well, they like Witchers even less so. And they’re not privy to make it known to you. I think I can help you, but even Witchers have a moral compass. Or at least, I do. So try me. I think you might underestimate me.”

“Monster hunter?” is all Aloy managed to get out.

“Yes, monsters. Foglets, drowners, wargs, wraiths, werewolves, vampires, harpies, sirens, and so on. Creatures that are aggressive and kill people.”

Aloy needed a moment to let that sink in. “Fine, you’re right. I haven’t gotten a step closer to this weapon, so I might as well give it a go. I’m indeed not from what you call the Continent. This place is completely different from my home. A few weeks ago, I found out that the world as I know it was once completely destroyed by machines. Machines are my kind of monsters, I guess. However, before everyone died they managed to make a different machine, one that was highly intelligent and good. She… I mean the machine was able to restore all life. The people who made the good machine also installed some sort of failsafe: a bad machine that could overthrow the good one, erase everything so the good one could start anew and do better. I have no idea if you’re able to follow this,” Aloy said while frowning. It felt like she was talking to a child.

Geralt hummed. “I can. Continue.”

“Okay so something, I don’t exactly know what, caused the bad machine to separate itself from the good one and she destroyed herself in order to destroy the bad machine with her. It didn’t completely work though and now it’s about to kill everyone and everything again unless I stop it with this weapon that I’m searching for. The good machine told me I could find it here, but she didn’t tell me what the weapon exactly is,” Aloy concluded, still feeling like she was telling a story to a toddler.

Geralt remained silent.

“If I can’t find it, everyone will die. So, you know, I really need this,” Aloy said, almost desperate.

“I understand. I think I know what you’re searching for,” Geralt finally answered.

“You do?” A flicker of hope sparked into her eyes.

Geralt smiled mysteriously. “Go to The Seven Cats Inn, it’s located near Novigrad.” He pulled out a map and tapped on the location. “I heard there’ll be a special guest tomorrow night. One you might want to talk to about this.”

Aloy felt a cold breeze coming into the inn. The door opened and a beautiful dark-haired woman walked in. She was fully clothed in white and black and her dark curls stretched out till her lower back. Her purple eyes scanned the room, paused a little on Aloy, and finally rested on Geralt. She approached them with gracious steps and greeted Geralt with a kiss on the lips.

“Geralt,” the newcomer said.

“Yen,” Geralt greeted with an amused smile as he saw Aloy’s expression.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your new friend?” Yen asked, not taking her eyes off of Aloy.

“Aloy, this is Yennefer of Vengerberg. Yen, this is Aloy. She’s an outlander.”

“Yes, I gathered that. Nice to meet you Aloy,” Yen said, giving a slight nod.

“Nice to meet you too,” Aloy replied, returning the nod. Sensing the two were in need of a private conversation, she stood up. “It’s time for me to go. Thanks for the help, Geralt. I’ll follow up on that lead.”

“Good luck, Aloy.”

They shared one last look of mutual understanding and then she was on her way again. Her stomach was rumbling and thanks to a bad experience with prepared meals at the first inn that she encountered a couple of days ago, Aloy preferred to hunt her own food.

———————————————————————————————————————————

Aloy was crouching down behind a thick group of bushes. About 50 meters away a rabbit was drinking untroubled from the stream, unaware of the huntress that was aiming her bow, ready to strike. Just when Aloy was about to release the arrow, something moved in the water. Aloy took a few steps closer but kept herself concealed in the shadows of the overhead trees. She could make out the body of a woman with long blonde hair lying at the edge of the stream. Aloy crawled a little further so she could see better.

Aloy couldn’t believe her eyes. An atrocious looking, slimy, blue creature was gnawing on one of the arms of the, apparently, dead woman. Completely forgetting the rabbit, Aloy approached the horrific scene, bow in front of her ready to fire an arrow to protect her from the unknown fiend.

When she was finally close enough to see the full body of the woman, the head of the beast yanked up, taking a pause from his feast, and looked Aloy directly in the eyes. The menacing look paralyzed her for half a second and then the monster, Aloy was sure that Geralt would’ve called this a monster, was rushing forward to strike her with its sharp claws. Aloy released the arrow and it successfully hit the target in its head. She released a shaky breath. At least it was easier to kill than machines, yet she couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of these things walking all around this world.

She sat down next to the corpse of the dead woman. She must’ve been somewhere in her late thirties. Her torso was completely shredded, her intestines clearly visible and her arm halfway chewed off. Aloy turned her head away, afraid she might have to vomit if she looked at it any longer. A sudden, low growl behind her alarmed her and just when she turned around she saw a flash of blue coming at her. She instantly reached for her spear and managed to parry a claw that was going towards her throat. She pushed the slimy creature away and got up into a fighting stance. A high cry to her left warned her to be ready for a second monster that was looking for a meal. She took a few steps back so as to not get caught in between the two creatures.

The sound of a snapping twig in the woods behind her made the monsters break eye contact with her - this was her chance. She leaped forward towards the monster that had tried to attack her earlier and anticipated its attack at her throat. She did a somersault and thrust her spear backward as soon as her feet hit the ground. A wailing sound and a soft thud assured her that this one was over and done. She immediately pulled out her bow, put an arrow at the string and shot it right at the second monster. It was hit in the eye and after a few seconds of staggering, it finally collapsed onto the ground and stopped moving.

“Guess you’ve done all of the work for me,” said a sharp voice from the woods. Aloy looked up and saw a young, athletically built woman with ashen-grey hair and a deep scar on her face. Her emerald-green eyes seemed to sparkle. She was a natural beauty, but you could see she wasn’t the kind of person you would want to get into a fight with. The sword she carried on her back glimmered in the sunlight.

“Wouldn’t have minded a bit of help though,” Aloy retorted, studying the other woman’s demeanour.

She shrugged. “Looked like you could handle yourself pretty well. Didn’t want to interrupt that. Who are you, if I may ask?”

“You were the one creeping up on me. I think you should introduce yourself first, don’t you think?”

The corners of the woman’s mouth curled up into a tight-lipped smile. “Fine. My name is Ciri, I’m a Witcher and I think you just stole my contract.”


	4. The Bet of Dusobron

„Your contract?” Aloy raised her eyebrows.

Ciri narrowed her eyes. „Yes, my contract. I had to kill off those drowners and get that body back to a grieving husband.” She gestured towards the monsters and the half-devoured woman.

Aloy just looked at her blankly. She had no idea what a contract was, but now she could finally put a name on the slimy blue monsters. Drowners felt like an accurate description of the repulsive water creatures.

„Wait. You’re not here for the contract?” Ciri asked. Aloy shook her head. „Then what are you doing out here?”

„Hunting”, Aloy said plainly.

„Hunting monsters?” Ciri exclaimed. „If not for a contract, why the hell would you be doing that?”

„I wasn’t hunting monsters. I was hunting game. I just happened to stumble upon these… drowners”, Aloy said a bit defensively. She felt intimidated by the other woman. She knew she didn’t know much about this world, but she thought she was handling it all pretty well. The hostile look and the weird accent really worked her nerves.

Ciri sighed. „Well, if I were you, I would restrict my hunting grounds to the woods close to the villages. Next time you’re out wandering, you might not be so lucky.”

„That wasn’t luck”, Aloy muttered. „But thanks for the advice.” She gave Ciri a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Ciri didn’t take her eyes off of Aloy. „You haven’t introduced yourself yet.”

„Is my name of any importance to you then? Now you know that I’m not here to steal your contract?”

„No, but it’s common courtesy. And maybe I just want to make sure you’re not after any other contracts here.”

Aloy sighed. „The name is Aloy. I’m not a Witcher, so I don’t care for any contract at all. Now if you don’t mind, I still need to hunt for food.” She raised her eyebrows and made a hand gesture to the forest. She was rapidly losing her patience with this woman. Asking her for the weapon, would definitely not be a good idea.

„Good to hear”, is all Ciri said while Aloy walked away, back into the woods.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Aleksy came running from behind the nearest tree. „Was that girl one of the bad guys?” he asked.

Ciri, still looking at the place where Aloy had disappeared into the forest, slowly shook her head. „I don’t think so.” The red-haired woman had a foreign look and acted strange. Definitely not from the Continent. She had never seen anyone before who was that quick and accurate with a bow. The weapons she carried were not what you would call ordinary and it seemed like she had heavily modified them. It made her wonder what the woman’s occupation was, if she wasn’t a Witcher.

„Can we bring Mommy back now?”

„Yes. Can you give me the blanket I asked you to carry?”

Aleksy handed her the black sheet. She gently lifted the woman’s body, wrapped her up in the blanket and whistled for her horse. She carefully hoisted the corpse on the mare, helped Aleksy up and took the reins. Time to end this contract.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

With her bag just a little bit heavier with coin, Ciri departed the next day for Novigrad. She couldn’t wait to see Geralt and Yennefer again. Ever since defeating the Wild Hunt, they had made it a habit to meet up at the Seven Cats Inn on the first Thursday every two months. It was just before sundown when Ciri tied her horse to the pole just outside the inn. The sound of clinking tankards and enthusiastic voices were leaking through the wooden door. When she opened it, she was immediately greeted by a highpitched ‘Ciri!’ and a warm hug. She looked up into the purple eyes of Yennefer of Vengerberg. Although her demeanour was often described as ‘haughty’ and maybe even ‘bitchy’ by others, Ciri always managed to bring out the soft and warm side of the sorceress.

Finally stepping away from each other, Yennefer looked Ciri up and down. „Are you okay? What have you been up to? Are you eating well enough? You don’t look like you eat well enough”, Yennefer chastised her.

„Nice to see you too”, Ciri answered while rolling her eyes, but with a broad smile. Yennefer smiled back and pulled her again in for a hug.

„Yen. Are we allowed to greet her too or are you just going to claim her for yourself?” Geralt asked with an amused smile on his lips. Yennefer just rolled her eyes as she finally - and a little reluctantly - let go of Ciri. After exchanging a whole lot of hugs and welcoming words with Geralt and Dandelion, the four of them seated themselves at a table in the back of the inn.

„So, Ciri, how have you been? Gotten some interesting contracts?” Geralt asked curiously. Dandelion scooted a little closer, his lute in his lap, ready to start a dramatic ballad, based on the adventurous tales of Witcher Ciri.

„Ye-yeah, there were a few - you know - interesting contracts. I mean nothing really special, but yes, interesting, yeah”, Ciri stammered, her voice a few pitches too high. Geralt’s eyebrows shot up.

„Well, are you going to tell us? I’m in a sore need of a really good story. Priscilla and I are writing a musical! It’s about a woman who was born as the Emperor’s daughter but chose to live her life as a Witcher and then -”

„Dandelion, nobody cares about your musical, let Ciri answer please”, Yennefer interrupted the bard.

Ciri looked from Dandelion, to Yennefer and finally to Geralt. „Okay, no, sorry, I lied. The past two months I’ve only been handling contracts for wolves or rabid dogs, drowners and mucknixers. The fights are easy and the pays are low, so I’m pretty much accepting every contract I can get my hands on right now”, Ciri admitted reluctantly.

Geralt chuckled a bit. „You thought being a Witcher meant you were to battle berserkers or vampires and lifting complicated curses every week?” Ciri gave him a little nod, because, yes, that’s exactly what she expected. „You should’ve told me, I could’ve warned you for this from the beginning. You don’t even want to know how often I’ve had to take contracts that were not even tasks for a Witcher. I once had to help a man that had lost his voice due to a rare illness for which they couldn’t seem to find a cure. A druid asked me to scare him, so he would be able to talk again because of the shock. It turned out the man was another druid who had sworn a vow of silence - which I made him break. It was all part of a joke.” Geralt shrugged his shoulders. „Life as a Witcher isn’t always about heroic saves and slaying legendary monsters. Sometimes it’s annoying the shit out of someone who will then break their holy vows.”

„I know and I understand, but well, I just didn’t imagine it to be this dull”, Ciri confessed.

Yennefer opened her mouth to say something but then closed it quickly and elbowed Geralt. „Look who’s here”, she said while pointing towards the entrance of the inn.

Ciri turned around and saw who had just entered: Aloy.

„You have got to be fucking kidding me”, Ciri cursed. „You know her?”

The redhead’s eyes were scanning the room and finally landed on Geralt and his company. Geralt nodded at the ginger which she returned. When Aloy’s eyes met Ciri’s though, she saw surprise and unease. The huntress looked nervous.

„Yes, we met yesterday, back at Crow’s Perch. Assuming from your tone, you’ve met her as well?” Geralt asked.

„Yes, I did. Had to kill off some drowners to retrieve the body of a peasant’s wife. When I arrived, though, our ginger there was already slicing them up for me. I wonder why she’s here now.”

„Maybe it’s because of the contract of Francis Beautain”, Dandelion said.

„No, she said she’s not a Witch- wait, what contract?” Ciri immediately focused on Dandelion.

„Haven’t you heard? Francis Beautain is coming here tonight to talk about this contract he’s issued for retrieving his family sword. Rumours are the price is mighty high - the Beautain family is one of the oldest, richest and most powerful families in all of Toussaint”, Dandelion explained. „It’s a fortunate coincidence that we were to meet up here tonight, because I’ve wanted to ask him some questions about this niece of his, who’s famous for her immense -”

Dandelion was cut off when a tall stranger, clad in what looked like really expensive silk, with dark hair and an imposing figure walked in accompanied by two of the brawniest men Ciri had ever seen. She only just noticed the entire tavern was packed with people. The entrance of the newcomers made everyone go quiet and the atmosphere tense. The tall man walked confidently to the center of the inn, while his companions waited at the door. All eyes were on him and Ciri noticed he enjoyed being the center of attention. There was a smirk on his lips and a glint in his eye that she definitely did not like.

„My dear friends - I can call you friends right?” the man started off. There was little to no reaction in the crowd, but no one contradicted him, so he went on with an equally confident tone. „You may have heard of me or my family, but I’m still going to introduce myself first: my name is Francis Beautain. My family and I run the biggest wine business on the entire Continent. Our vineyards are located in Toussaint as do our homes. Now, we haven’t always been successful wine entrepreneurs. The story goes that my ancestors had an important task bestowed upon them by the gods. They forged them a sword called Dusobron to protect the souls of the people who were to travel to the afterlife, grant them a safe passage as you might say. The sword granted the wielder special powers like travelling between dimensions, manipulate time and even immortality. Every time the holder of the weapon would die, their replacement had to prove to the gods that they were worthy of such a weapon. They needed to have strength of mind, strength of character and strength of heart.” Beautain stopped for a moment and laughed. „I know, I know. These are more likely the tales of some old men who wanted to seem important and separate themselves from the rabble. The family sword however, has been lost for over 200 years now.”

The crowd started to mumble.

„My great-great-grandfather took Dusobron with him on a business outing on Ard Skellig. He was found dead in the ditches near Fyresdal, with no sword in his possession. The story goes that he was not found worthy by the gods and they killed him for it, hiding away the sword behind obstacles until someone worthy would come around.”

The mumbling of the crowd was getting louder. This guy was playing his audience like a fiddle.

„To be honest, I just think he lost a game of Gwent with high stakes and then got killed for the nice looking sword he was carrying”, Beautain laughed. „But that doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I would like to honour my ancestors’ memories and therefore I need our family sword back. Alas, I can’t venture out myself, I’m needed to take care of the family business. We wouldn’t want our inns to run out of good wine now would we?” He stretched out his arms to the public, as if he was doing it for their sake. „Off course, I won’t ask any of you to do this for me, without the promise of a well deserved compensation. The person who is able to bring me Dusobron - in a perfect state - will be rewarded with 55 _thousand_ crowns.” Ciri almost choked on her drink.

The whole tavern erupted in an uproar. Men and women were yelling, unsheathing their swords, all volunteering to retrieve the sword. Beautain just kept standing there in the center, his grin so wide you would think the corners of his mouth would tear.

„Well, what are you waiting for? Get me Dusobron back! May the best man or woman win!”

People were almost running to the exit of the inn, pushing each other out of the way, trampling the ones who had fallen onto the floor. Once the greater part of the crowd was outside, Ciri could hear swords and axes clanking and screams of anger and pain. Beautain laughed and gave a few crowns to the innkeeper. He beckoned his companions to follow him outside.

Ciri turned towards the rest of the table. „Is this guy serious?”

„I definitely think so. That’s not going to be some ordinary sword if he’s willing to pay that much for it”, Geralt answered.

„It’s not going to be easy to retrieve it either or he would’ve sent off one of his dogs to do the job for him instead of putting up this show”, Yennefer added.

„I’m going to complete this contract”, Ciri said.

„You will not”, Yennefer and Geralt said in unison.

Ciri heard a soft chuckle coming from behind her. When she turned around, she saw Aloy walking towards their table.

„I guess I won’t be able to hold my promise of not stealing one of your contracts now”, Aloy said with a smirk.

Ciri’s eyes narrowed. „Oh, okay, you think you’re good enough to get this sword all on your own?” Ciri scoffed. „You’re not even a Witcher!”

„I don’t need to be. I have other skills. You’ve only seen a few of them”, Aloy replied, the smirk getting bigger.

Ciri didn’t miss the dubious meaning of that statement and felt her face grow warm. „Well, I’m sure you have, but you must be pretty daft to think you can outbest a Witcher.”

„I guess we’ll see about that soon”, Aloy said.

„Sweet girl, are you really challenging Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon? Geralt, Yennefer, you must let Ciri do this contract, this is going to be such an epic quest! I have the most fantastic idea for a beautiful dramatic ballad to honour the bravery of this challenger. It’s almost a shame that she will certainly fail”, Dandelion said in a singsongy tone.

„Nor Geralt, nor Yennefer are to decide what I can or can not do”, Ciri answered. „I’m doing this, even without their permission.”

Geralt sighed. „I won’t stop you, Ciri.” Then he looked at Dandelion. „I don’t think you should underestimate Aloy though. I wouldn’t be sure on who I would bet.”

„Well, I guess it’s on then”, Aloy said.

„Oh, you bet it’s on”, Ciri replied confidently, but she could feel the knot in her stomach tightening. She knew Geralt was right: this girl was not to be underestimated.


	5. A Feast for Skelligers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I had to take this long to finish this chapter. I just had a few busy weeks and a bit of a writer's block, but I'm happy I can finally put it up here.
> 
> Also, I didn't let anyone proofread this, so there may be some mistakes (sorry), I just didn't want to wait any longer with publishing :). 
> 
> I hope you enjoy and again, don't hesitate to contact me on Tumblr (hidinginthetrashcan) if you have any questions or just want to have a nice chat!

As soon as the redhead had exited the establishment, Ciri turned towards the others. „Geralt, think Ermion is still on Ard Skellig?” she asked.

„I suppose. Not everyone was happy that Cerys was chosen as their queen”, he answered. „You’re going to Kaer Trolde?”

„The sword has been lost for more than two centuries on Ard Skellig. Surely he must have heard about something like that. Anyways, it’s my best shot.” Ciri got up and hugged the three of them goodbye. „It was really nice to see you again.”

„Good luck, Ciri. If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to let us know”, Yennefer said fondly. „We’ll be stopping by in the Chameleon every so often, so you can find us there.”

„I will. Thank you. See you soon. Hopefully with Dusobron in my hands.” She turned around and went outside. She grabbed the reins of her horse and teleported, straight to Kaer Trolde.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

This had to be it. The sword had to be the weapon that GAIA meant. As soon as Aloy saw the ashen-haired woman sitting with Geralt, she knew this wasn’t going to be an easy trip. The price on this artefact was high, but Aloy’s was much higher. The bunch of bloodthirsty mercenaries were a nuisance. Ciri however, was a problem. But also an asset. As soon as she closed the door of the tavern, she snuck to the window at the back of the building, trying to overhear the conversation of the Witcher and her company. She heard Geralt’s voice first.

„- was happy that Cerys was chosen as their queen. You’re going to Kaer Trolde?”

„The sword has been lost for more than two centuries on Ard Skellig. Surely he must have heard about something like that. Anyways, it’s my best shot. It was really nice to see you again”, Aloy heard Ciri say.

Ciri was going to a place called Kaer Trolde. Aloy was certain she could ask any passers-by where that might be. She snuck away from the window and watched the young Witcher exit the tavern how she - did she just completely vanish into thin air? Aloy sighed. She should’ve known that just following the woman would not be THAT easy. She waited until Geralt, Yennefer and that weirdly clad guy with a lute came out of the tavern. When they parted, Aloy made her way to Geralt.

„Geralt!” she called out. He turned around and faced her with a surprised look.

„Aloy. I thought you would’ve been well on your way for the sword now”, he answered.

„Well, I had a plan, but apparently it just… evaporated”, Aloy said exasperated.

Geralt chuckled, understanding what the redhead’s strategy was. „Ciri is special”, he grinned, a bit proudly.

„So I’ve gathered”, Aloy muttered. „Anyways, do you still have that map on you? Is Kaer Trolde marked on it?”

Geralt grabbed the map out of his pocket and handed it to Aloy. „You can find every important city or holdfast on there, including Kaer Trolde. It’s on Ard Skellig though, it’s an island, so you’re going to need a boat.”

Aloy studied the map and memorised the way to Kaer Trolde. When she was sure she knew the way by heart she held it out for Geralt. He shook his head. „Keep it, I know my way around and I have a feeling you’re going to have to travel a lot from now on”, he said. „Good luck out there.”

Aloy smiled. „Thank you, Geralt. For all your help.”

He nodded and when Aloy was about to turn around, he added: „It’s a good plan, Aloy. Try to stick with it as much as you can.” He had the same mysterious smile as he did the day before when he told her to come here. Aloy gave him a nod as well and went on her way to Novigrad’s port, hoping she would find a captain that was willing to sail her to Ard Skellig.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

„Ciri!” Cerys exclaimed and ran towards her to throw her arms around her neck. They hugged tightly. „It’s so nice to see ya here.”

„Likewise!” They finally broke the hug. „Sorry I haven’t been able to stop by earlier. So, you’re a queen now, huh? Do I need to bow for you or something?” Ciri teased. The Skelliger swatted her arm and scoffed.

„I feel like we have a lot to catch up on, but no worries, I won’t start my cross-examination until tomorrow. You’re staying for the feast, right?” she asked excitedly.

Ciri brought her hand up to her neck, not sure what the other woman was talking about. „Uhm, what feast exactly?”

Cerys gave her an unimpressed look. „It’s been a year since my coronation! Well, I mean, it’s not so much a feast as it is a drinking contest between the clans, but it would be really nice to have you here. Another powerful woman beside me, to prove the men the world doesn’t revolve around their petty cocks”, she laughed.

„My father can’t know I’m still alive, Cerys. I don’t know if it’s such a good idea. One word from one the clans and he’s sure to hear about it.”

„We’ll disguise you, call you by a different name. And really, what if he would find out? It’s not like he can force you to sit on the throne, right? Come on, it’ll be fun”, Cerys pleaded.

Ciri took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. „All right, I guess I’ll be there”, she smiled. The young queen made a high squeaking sound that didn’t match her tough looks. „But, it’s not why I’ve come here, though. I need to speak to Ermion. Any idea where he is? I went by his quarters but he isn’t there.”

„Oh, he went to visit clan Drummond at Kaer Muire. He should be back by tomorrow, though. He’s coming to the feast, so you can catch up with him there as well”, Cerys answered. „Now, I’ll leave you to rest and settle in. I have a guest room that’s especially made for these kind of occasions.”

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Finding someone willing to sail to Ard Skellig was not nearly as easy as Aloy had thought it would be. While the attacks of the Skelligers had died down since a new queen sat on the throne, the sea had not been tamed. She was almost losing hope, until she met Dorian Silverstone, the captain of ‘Helena’, a small but sturdy looking ship. The seaman had charged her over 700 crowns for the trip, but it was the best deal she was able to get. Arriving at the harbor of Kaer Trolde - one step closer to finding the weapon - she thought it was well worth it.

Aloy thought she would be well accustomed to the smell of salt and fish, but the concentration at Kaer Trolde harbor was something entirely new to her. She hastily climbed to the top of the hill near the port. Reaching the top, she happily inhaled a breath of fresh air. Looking down at the hundreds of little men walking around, she couldn’t help but wonder how she was supposed to find Ciri here. She didn’t have anything from the ashen-haired woman that she could track with her Focus. Maybe she could ask about the woman in one of the inns? Ciri stood out in even the biggest of crowds, so someone must’ve seen her around, right? Her growling stomach shook the thoughts about Ciri out of her head. First, she had to hunt.

It didn’t take Aloy long to spot a small fox in the tall grass near the edge of a forest. She crouched down and took a few steps closer to get a clean shot. Just when she was about to release the arrow, the fox scurried away, scared of the approaching sound of galloping horses. „Damn it”, she hissed. The horde of happily shouting - probably drunk - men passed by, effectively eliminating all possible animals Aloy could hunt in the near vicinity. After taking a deep breath, she activated her Focus so she could follow the fox. Following the light tracks, she went into the forest. She hadn’t gotten far when she heard faraway screams coming from the west. Deciding that she would probably cross another possible meal on the way, she pursued the sounds.

Aloy couldn’t believe what she was seeing: a man was fighting a pack of wolves, barehanded. The stranger was broad-shouldered, had reddish brown hair that stopped just above his shoulders and a bushy beard that matched his hair colour. He was surrounded by three wolves, but Aloy saw a few of their brothers and sisters lying lifeless on the ground. The man grunted and duck, trying to prevent of being completely encircled. With every step he took, his eyes flew to something on the ground, lying near the dead animals: his axe. Whenever he tried to get closer to the weapon, one of the wolves would break the dance and snap at him, making him duck away again. Aloy put an arrow to the string of her bow. All she had to do was to give the man an opening to get his weapon. She sought out the biggest wolf, the Alpha and aimed the arrow at one of his eyes. Upon releasing the arrow, she knew it was going to hit bullseye. The wolf let out a deep agonising howl which made the rest of the pack hesitate for a moment. The man saw his chance, took his axe and swept it down onto the head of the wolf who was closest by. In the meantime, Aloy had readied another arrow and hit the other eye of the Alpha. With 2 wolves down and only 2 more to go, she came out of the bushes with her spear ready in front of her. She and the stranger each took one of them on, both participating in a sort of dance in which each step of them elicited a step from the wolf they were facing, mirroring each other’s movements.

The stranger behind her decided he’d had enough of it and attacked with a loud battle cry. Aloy followed suit and faked an attack at the throat of the wolf, only changing the direction of her feet and spear at the last moment to stick it into the side of the predator, breaking through the ribcage and ending the life of her opponent. She turned around and saw the man pulling his axe out of the last wolf’s skull. He let out a deep breath and then finally looked up to meet Aloy’s eyes.

„Thanks for the help. Not that I needed it or anything, but it’s a nice gesture”, he said with a deep voice and a thick accent.

Aloy scoffed. „Yeah, you were handling it just fine. Sorry for interfering with your sparring time”, she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The stranger grimaced. „Uhm, yes, right. Sorry. I guess I was in a bit of trouble for a moment there”, he admitted. „So, thank you. I’m Hjalmar by the way. Hjalmar an Craite. Are you from the Continent? I don’t think I’ve seen any clan with your kind of armour before.”

Aloy’s features softened. „Anytime. I’m… not from around here, you could say”, she said, not wanting to elaborate on the subject. „I’m Aloy.”

Hjalmar must’ve sensed her unease because he let the matter slide. „Nice to meet you, Aloy. You’ve got quite the fighting skills there. Now, as a proper thanks, I would like to invite you over for the feast tomorrow evening, in honour of my sister’s coronation last year. You look like a traveller, so if you don’t have a place to stay yet, you could come with me to Kaer Trolde and I can let someone arrange a chamber for you. How does that sound?” he asked with a smile on his lips.

Aloy smiled back. „That’s a very generous offer, but I’m actually searching for something. A famous sword has gone missing here on Ard Skellig. It’s called Dusobron and belongs to the family Beautain. Ever heard of anything like that?”

Hjalmar furrowed his brows and shook his head. „Sadly, no, that doesn’t ring any bell at all.” Aloy deflated. „But… I think you should reconsider my offer, because I know someone who might’ve heard about that.”

Aloy’s eyebrows shot up. Seeing that she wasn’t one step closer to finding Ciri or having any better lead, she answered: „Well, lead the way then.”

————————————————————————————————————————————————

A Skelligan feast isn’t considered ‘good’ unless mead and blood flow in equal measure. Ciri knew this, but she still sat gaping at the sight of men happily drinking together one minute, going into a fistfight another minute and then drinking again as if those new bruises and broken bones didn’t come from brawling with one another.

She was sitting at the table at the end of the hall, next to Cerys, who had her fair share of mead already, when Hjalmar suddenly attacked her from the back and pulled her in a big hug. Ciri laughed and hugged him back just as tightly.

„Ciri! I can’t believe you’re here! Cerys didn’t tell me you were coming to the feast. If I had known I would’ve come earlier”, he said with a broad smile.

„Maybe that’s why I didn’t tell you”, Cerys retorted with a smirk. He gave her a foul look.

„It’s good to see you too, Hjalmar. So, how are you adjusting to life with your little sister as queen?” Ciri teased.

„Don’t you start this, I’m still the brother of the queen and I can still kick you out before you can say ‘Wild Hunt’”, he answered with his eyes narrowed, faking a stern look.

„I wouldn’t dare”, Ciri laughed. „Hey, so when’s Ermion coming? I kind of need to ask him something. It’s pretty important.”

„It seems that nowadays everyone needs to speak to Ermion. Our beloved druid is going to have one hell of a night here with all these women.”

„Who else needs to-”, Ciri started, but she was cut off by a bellowing Hjalmar.

„ALOY! OVER HERE!”

Ciri immediately directed her gaze to the entrance of the hall, seeing the familiar flash of red hair, clad in her usual armour, but this time, without her spear and bow. Her eyes searched the room and fell on Hjalmar, eliciting a smile on the woman’s face, which was nothing short of breathtaking Ciri reluctantly admitted. Sure, she had seen Aloy before and she knew she was probably born out of an excellent gene pool, but up til now, she had only seen her scowling, frustrated or with an irritating smirk. An honest-to-goodness smile, however, was a good look on her.

„Holy shit, Hjalmar, you didn’t tell me you had invited a gorgeous redhead”, Cerys spat out.

Ciri rolled her eyes and scoffed. „Yeah, with a shitty personality at that.”

„Those abs make up for all kinds of shitty personalities”, Cerys shrugged.

Hjalmar looked at Ciri. „You guys know each other?”

„We met a few times.”

Before Hjalmar could respond, Aloy arrived at the table, greeting him with a friendly nod. When she looked at Ciri, however, her smile became a bit more strained and her complexion paler. Ciri ignored the slight weight sinking in her stomach. She was about to say something snarky, but Hjalmar beat her to the curb.

„Aloy, this is Cerys, my annoying little sister”, he said, which earned him a dead stare, „and this is Ciri, we’ve known each other since we were kids. But apparently you already have met. Ciri was basically my betrothed when we were little.” The strained smile transformed to that signature smirk that Aloy wore back at the Seven Cats Inn.

„How very cute”, Aloy commented.

„Right, I guess don’t have to introduce you to Ciri anymore, but Cerys, this is Aloy. She helped me out of a rather… unfortunate wolf situation”, he said while grimacing. Aloy chuckled.

Cerys made a disgusted face. „If that’s like code language for something dirty, I swear I’m -”

Before she could finish her sentence, Ermion entered the hall and came greeting her at the table. „So sorry I’m late, queen Cerys, but congratulations on your first year as ruler of Skellige!” He looked at the rest of the company. „Ciri? My heavens! It’s so good to see you again!” He came towards her and gave her a tight hug.

„Good to see you too, Ermion”, Ciri smiled.

„Sit down, Ermion, Ciri got a few questions for you”, Cerys said while pointing at the chair across her.

„Getting right to the point now, are we”, Ciri muttered.

„You have made it very clear that whatever answers you’re searching for, you need them ASAP”, Cerys retorted.

„Mind if I join?” Aloy asked, reaching for the chair next to Ermion, right across Ciri.

„Make yourself comfortable”, Cerys answered with a wink. Aloy gave her a small smile while she sat down.

„Right, Ciri, what do you need to know?” Ermion inquired.

„Okay, so, uhm, apparently, 200 years ago, a legendary sword went missing, here on Ard Skellig. It’s called Dusobron. Ever heard of it?” Ciri asked.

„Hmm, that name doesn’t immediately ring a bell I’m afraid”, he replied.

„The sword is said to have out-of-this-world qualities, like granting immortality to its owner or the power to travel between dimensions. It belongs to the Beautains, an ancient rich family from Toussaint. It’s said the sword is hidden away by the gods because the new wielder has to prove themselves worthy. Never heard of anything like that?”

Ermion looked at at her pensively. „I don’t know anything about a sword, however, I did hear a rumour about a very valuable treasure on a cursed island, supposedly northwest of Ard Skellig. Most of the people who’ve set out to sail there, never got back. I don’t know if those two stories have anything to do with each other, but if you’re looking for something supernatural, my guess is your best bet is over there. Why do you need it anyways? It’s not like you need those powers as you’re already called ‘The Lady of -”

„I don’t need it”, Ciri interrupted him, throwing a quick glance at Aloy. „I mean I don’t want to use it. I just want to find for a contract.”

Ermion furrowed his brows, but didn’t go into it. „Right. Just be careful. Cerys, can I speak with you in private for a moment?” The young queen reluctantly followed the druid to the chambers next to the hall.

Ciri looked at Aloy and stood up as well. „I need a drink”, she muttered and went to get some wine. She was wondering if she would be able to slip away from the feast without anyone noticing. She considered it for a moment, but then decided against it, not wanting to mistreat Cerys’ hospitality after everything. However, that meant she would have to put up with Aloy for the rest of the evening. She emptied the glass of wine in a few seconds and poured herself another. It was going to be a long night.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Aloy’s eyes followed Ciri as she went to get her wine glass filled. Hjalmar sat down next to her and followed her gaze.

„You and Ciri know each other?” he asked.

Aloy snorted. „We ran into each other a few days ago, yes. Not the best encounter though. She’s quick on the offensive.”

Hjalmar laughed. „That’s Ciri all right. You’ll have to cut her some slack though, she has known some pretty hard times.”

Aloy looked up at him. „ Who hasn’t? Life _is_ hard. Don’t see anyone else complaining about it though.”

He nodded. „True, but Ciri is… special. Very special. A lot of powerful people want her on their side and I can promise you, it’s not because of her sunny personality”, he joked.

Aloy chuckled. „What’s it about then?”

Hjalmar sighed. „I don’t think I’m allowed to tell you. She interrupted Ermion earlier on, so my guess is she doesn’t feel comfortable about you knowing this. The only thing I can say is: you don’t want Ciri as your enemy. That’s not a warning or a threat, it’s a fact”, he said in a very serious tone.

„I think it’s already too late for that”, Aloy muttered.

Hjalmar bellowed. „Ha, if it was, you wouldn’t be sitting here, Aloy. And that’s not me underestimating you, believe me, I’ve seen you in action, but have you seen her?”

Aloy had to admit she hadn’t yet. „I know she’s a Witcher and that’s something special out here apparently, but I wouldn’t go as far as saying that I would have no chance at all in a fight.”

Hjalmar just shrugged. „I definitely would pay to see that”, he chuckled. She gave him an elbow in the ribs and a playful foul look.

Just at that moment Cerys came back to the table. Instead of seating herself in front of Aloy, she sat on the other side of her, trying to catch her attention for the rest of the evening. Aloy saw Ciri coming back with a full glass of wine and her eyes a bit glazed over from the alcohol. She knew Ciri was special. She has seen her vanishing into thin air. She also found herself unable to stop looking at the woman. There was something about her that drew Aloy’s attention. Ciri and Hjalmar were having a lively conversation until he held out his hand for her and they started dancing. It wasn’t elegant, that was impossible with Hjalmar, but it looked like they were having a lot of fun. Suddenly a hand was laying on top of hers. She looked at Cerys.

„Care for a dance?” the queen asked. Aloy swallowed nervously.

„I-I don’t dance. I mean I can’t. I- just don’t”, she stuttered.

„A no to dancing is not something I take for an answer. Come!” Cerys pulled her from her chair and guided her to the middle of the room where the others were. Aloy didn’t know what to do at first, but seeing all those moving bodies around her and the music becoming louder and more frantic, she found herself moving to the rhythm at last. This new world was very interesting, to say the least.


	6. Uncharted Territory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very sorry that this didn't get posted until now. Life had gotten in the way and I can't write under pressure. It's also been a while so I'm sure my English has gotten a little rusty. The story is planned out, I just need to sit down and actually write it, so I hope I'll get out more (and longer) chapters soon. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and as always, you can hit me up on Tumblr - https://hidinginthetrashcan.tumblr.com

The morning after the feast, Ciri went to search for Cerys and Hjalmar to say her goodbyes. She found the both of them and Aloy just outside the castle.

„Aha! There’s my dance partner! Tell me, are your legs as sore as mine? Because I can barely keep myself upright”, Hjalmar greeted Ciri with a broad smile on his face.

„Uhm, I think you just need more exercise, I’m afraid you’ve become a bit soft”, Ciri teased. Hjalmar gave her a look of utter disbelief. „Anyways, I came here because I want to say goodbye to the two of you. And thank you for yesterday. It’s been a long time since I’ve had that much fun”, she said sincerely. 

Cerys smiled at her and took her into a hug. „You know you’re always welcome here, Ciri.” They held each other for a few moments until Ciri took a step back. 

„Well, I wanted to give you a hug as well, but you’ve been quite mean to me just now so…” A smug smile was playing around Hjalmar’s lips. Suddenly he rushed towards her, picked her up and spun her around. When he finally put her with both feet back on the ground again, they needed a few moments to catch their breath again from laughing.

Suddenly, Aloy spoke up. „Witcher.” Ciri had almost forgotten that she was there too. 

„Have you come to say your goodbyes to me as well?” Ciri raised her eyebrows. 

Aloy huffed. „Actually, I was going to propose a collaboration”, she replied with a simple wave of her hands.

Ciri’s eyes narrowed. She carefully studied Aloy’s face but she couldn’t find any trace of the usual snark in there. „You. Want to collaborate. With me. Is this a joke?”

„Not at all. You heard Ermion, no one has ever come back from that island. I think it wouldn’t be unwise to team up for this one.”

Ciri laughed. „Wait, are you scared you’re not going to make it? You already caved in?”

An annoyed look replaced the neutral one on Aloy’s face. „Off course not. Haven’t you thought about the fact that we’re not the only two hunting this artefact? Every danger, every delay you encounter on that island gives those brainless goons more chance of finding it before either of us do. We’ll lose less time if we work together. I have my Focus to help me track things and… well it has other special features. You know these lands and we both know our ways around weapons, with each their specialty. I think we’re quite complimentary and we’d make a better chance of finding Dusobron first if we do this together.”

„And split the reward?”

Aloy nodded. 

Ciri contemplated Aloy’s words. The reasoning did make sense, however, she thought she would do just fine on her own. She also had a hard time figuring out if the redhead’s proposal was genuine or not. But, as they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Aloy was probably her toughest opponent in the search of Dusobron, so it wouldn’t hurt if she knew her whereabouts, right? Ciri made up her mind. She was going to accept the deal, but she was definitely not going to trust the stranger. 

„So what do you think? Ready to search for an ancient legendary sword?” Aloy asked with a little smile playing around her lips. She extended her right arm towards Ciri. 

Ciri smiled back. „Fine, I’m in”, she said while accepting the arm and shaking it. “I do hope you have a strong stomach though”, she added while smirking. 

„Oh, yeah, I didn’t get seasick on the way here, so I don’t think that’s going to be a pro-“ Aloy was cut off as Ciri clutched her arm harder and teleported to the island Ermion described the day before. 

————————————————————————————————————————————————

They landed on the side of the coast of the uncharted island with their feet on soft ground. Aloy sagged down on her knees, her hands keeping her from falling face first on the wet earth. „What in the name of the All-Mother did you do?” she managed to croak out, breathing heavily, trying to swallow down her stomach’s content. 

„I gave us a head start”, Ciri said while shrugging her shoulders. „I warned you for the nausea and you assured me it was fine, so…” 

Aloy could see that the white-haired girl was enjoying this. She forced her eyes shut so the world would stop spinning. Slowly but steadily her breathing normalized and her legs stopped shaking. She cautiously stood up and brushed off the ground dust while trying to look composed. She would not let Ciri see her that weak again.

„Right, we’re here. So…” Ciri trailed off while looking around the shore. „Where-to now?”

Aloy activated her Focus. She saw a few tracks of small animals but nothing significant while scanning the environment. 

„What is that exactly?” Ciri asks while pointing at Aloy’s Focus.

„It helps me see things I normally wouldn’t”, Aloy answered vaguely. 

„You’re not from this world now, are you?”  
Aloy looked up at Ciri. „I’m not from the Continent, no. I thought you already knew that”, she deflected the question. 

Ciri laughed but it was humorlessly. „I’ve never seen that before, but I do know a world where that could’ve originated from. Don’t think me stupid, Aloy, I know far more than you’re aware off.”

Aloy hesitated. She was indeed surprised about Ciri’s knowledge of different worlds, but maybe that’s common knowledge on Earth-104, she couldn’t know for sure. „If I thought you were stupid, I wouldn’t have proposed to work together, princess.”

Ciri completely froze. Aloy looked her up and down. Something she said, had triggered the Witcher. 

„Don’t… call me that”, she said through gritted teeth. 

Aloy narrowed her eyes. Something about the other girl just made her want to push her buttons. The clenched teeth, the deep frown and the sparkly green eyes - she just loved to see her get mad. It was cute - as in like a toddler cute, not the pretty girl cute type of thing. Right. 

„Why not? Did it hit too close to home? You know, you may not be wearing a dress or a tiara or anything, but your pretty face, perfect hair and not to mention your pain-in-the-ass attitude truly makes me believe that you’re an actual princess. I mean, who else has such a ridiculously long name?” Aloy smirked, quite content with the point she had made. 

Ciri was fuming, but instead of giving Aloy a snappy comeback, she unsheathed her sword en rushed forward, towards the redhead. Aloy’s eyes widened and for a flicker of a moment she was unable to move. At the last second she managed to duck away to her left, just to see Ciri blocking the tail of a enormous mutated scorpion with - are those armor plates?!

„Are you just going to stand there and watch or are you going to help me out?!” Ciri yelled while she tried to get some hits with her sword in.

Finally waking up out of her daze, Aloy brought out her bow and started to look for vulnerable places on the monster. Meanwhile, Ciri kept graciously dancing around the scorpion, blocking its tail and ducking away from the fast charges of its jaws and forelegs. With every charge the monster made towards Ciri, it exposed some of its underbelly, which wasn’t armored. Aloy immediately started to circle around the scorpion-like beast and fired off a dozen arrows before it finally began slowing down. Feeling that the monster’s perseverance was coming to its end, Ciri sprinted and glided under the jaws of the beast, thrusting her sword upwards and slicing the belly completely open. Guts came spilling out and after a few seconds, the monster’s legs gave out, making it fall into the wet sand with a soft thump. 

Ciri looked back over her shoulder at the fallen monster and did a little victory dance. Aloy couldn’t help but smile whilst shaking her head. Maybe Ciri could be pretty girl cute. Sometimes. 

Those thoughts were harshly interrupted when the tail of the scorpion behind Ciri moved, threatening to pierce the ashen-haired woman. Aloy jumped towards Ciri, trying to get her out of harm’s way, but she only caught air. She came down harder than expected and felt a sharp sting on the left side of her upper body. She groaned and gripped at her side. When she lifted her hand, there was not much blood on it, but then why did it feel like her whole body was starting to burn?

„Shit! You idiot. Why did you do that?” Ciri was by her side, hands frantically hovering over her body, panic written all over her face. 

„Well, that is the last time I ever try to save your life”, Aloy managed to spit out. She bit back a groan, the fire was spreading through her whole body and she was starting to have a red edge around her vision. „Where the fuck did you go?”

„I didn’t ask you to save my life. I can take care of myself. Now sit still, a sting from an Endrega Warrior is venomous. I can heal you… I hope.”

Aloy looked up at Ciri’s face. She held both of her hands a couple of centimeters above Aloy’s abdomen, where the monster had stung, her eyes closed and her lips moving fast, muttering words in a language Aloy didn’t understand. She felt a warm feeling spreading across her body, extinguishing the sharp, piercing pain of the fire. Her vision was becoming blurry, she succumbed to the blissful feeling and drifted away.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

When Aloy’s eyes closed and her body had stopped convulsing, Ciri stopped the flow of magic. She sat down next to her, vigilant for any other threat that they might face on this island. Leaving Aloy behind to further the search for Dusobron on her own was something that had passed in her mind, but the thought was quickly suppressed. Aloy got hurt because she was trying to save her, she wasn’t going to abandon her now. She had felt the Endrega Warrior’s tail coming up behind her and used her time manipulation skills to get away safely, but she didn’t take the redhead jumping towards her into account. She knew that as soon as Aloy would wake up, she would have to answer some questions about how she got away so quickly and Ciri was sure that she was not ready to have that kind of conversation with her. She quickly settled on a ‘it’s a Witcher thing’-excuse. 

Ciri looked at the unconscious girl next to her. Her eyes tracing the redheads face. The pure peace and openness of Aloy’s expression was something completely new for Ciri. She knew Aloy could be beautiful. She saw it at the feast at Kaer Trolde when she smiled at Hjalmar and when she was dancing with Cerys. Never had she seen that when Aloy addressed her. Don’t think like that. It’s not like they ever had a friendly conversation with one another, so why would Aloy give her smile or ask her to dance? Ciri shook her head. These are the thoughts of a silly teenage girl, not of a grown-up woman. 

This act of selflessness from Aloy did make the whole double-crossing thing harder though. She wondered why the redhead was so interested in the sword, when she didn’t seem to care for anything else. She took a look at the triangular device that was attached to the side of Aloy’s head and for a moment, considered taking it off to see what it could do. Just when Ciri was reaching out, barely touching it, Aloy moved in her sleep, muttering a name.

„Elisabet.”


End file.
